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Vegas to LA in 80 minutes!

Energy Media Group broke the story today about our long time friend,
advocate and investor Gary Tharaldson securing a major deal with the
Chinese today to build a high bullet train from Las Vegas to Los
Angeles. This has been a vision that Gary has had for many years. We are
so proud of his dedication to North Dakota and all the the amazing
business success he has had over the years. Great work Gary and THANK
YOU!On Thursday Chinese officials announced that a long-discussed
high-speed rail project linking Las Vegas and Southern California will
be built by a U.S.-China joint venture, reports the LA Times.The project will be supported by $100 million in initial capital,
financed in part by Energy Media Group investor and North Dakota real
estate mogul Gary Tharaldson. To accelerate the launch of the rail
project, XpressWest and China Railway International USA Co. have entered
into an agreement to construct the “Southwest Rail Network.”The project, in discussion since 2007, will consist of a 230-mile
high-speed rail running from Las Vegas, Nevada to Victorville,
California, 85 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Although details
of the project’s cost and completion weren’t specified, Chinese news
agencies and the 21st Century Business Herald reported the project will
cost approximately $12.7 billion and will take up to three years,
according to Quartz.The announcement comes just days ahead of Chinese President Xi
Jinping’s visit to the United States. At a news conference in Beijing,
China Railway Group Deputy Chief Engineer Yang Zhongmin said, “This is
the first high-speed railway project where China and the U.S. will have
systematic cooperation. It shows the advancement of China-made
high-speed railways.”The project will serve as a model of international cooperation
and will firmly establish the high-speed rail industry in the U.S. by
creating a significant number of jobs throughout the Southwest region as
construction is slated to begin as soon as September 2016. All
necessary regulatory and commercial activities to advance the project
will begin immediately, and implementation will begin with the next 100
days.XpressWest is a privately owned company, while China Railway
International USA’s ownership consists of a consortium of subsidiaries
from Chinese state firms, including China Railway Group and China
Railway Rolling Stock Corporation. “As China’s first high-speed railway
project in the United States, the project will be a landmark in overseas
investment for the Chinese railway sector and serve as a model of
international cooperation,” Zhongmin told Xinhua news.The train is anticipated to transport passengers between Las Vegas and Victorville in 80 minutes and fares will be set at $89.